


If we meet again

by Katical



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ash in Japan, Emotions, Fighting, Fluff, Happy ending that we all wanted, Light Angst, M/M, Memory Loss, Photos, Post Anime, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-07-24 18:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katical/pseuds/Katical
Summary: In exchange for his and Ash’s memories of each other, Ash would receive a chance of surviving his injury. That was the deal Eiji made with God. But there was one more thing He included: if Ash and Eiji were to meet again someday, somehow, He would return everything to them.





	1. Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first fanfic of Banana Fish. I watched this anime exactly two weeks ago and I finished it in a day. I really enjoyed it and it really hit me hard at some points, making me cry much more than I expected. And after finishing it, I felt quite empty and it's been on my mind a lot so I figured I should just write something about them and here we are. I hope you enjoy!!

“Eiji.”

Through the haziness of sleep, the young man heard an unfamiliar voice beckoning him awake.

“Eiji, wake up.”

With a turn of his head and a groan, dark eyes slowly blinked awake. His vision was blurred, all he could see was a world of white. It was blinding. Instinctively, Eiji pinched his eyes shut.

“Come on,” the stranger’s voice sighed a little. “We don’t have much time. And it’s something important to do with Ash.”

Upon hearing that name, Eiji snapped awake instantly. He went to sit upright but he found himself already upright. Rather, he was actually standing.

Confused by how he was asleep standing, dark eyes trailed to the stranger only to find a blurry figure dressed in white in front of him.

“E-E-Eh? Wh-Who…?” Eiji stumbled back a step in surprise.

But whoever the figure was, he raised his hands up in a placating gesture. “Please calm down. I’m…” The stranger paused, raising a hand to rub the back of his head in thought. “What am I exactly…” He muttered to himself, making Eiji peer at him in wonder, squinting to see if he could look past the blurriness that enshrouded the other. “I guess I’m someone like a messenger of God.”

“Eh? Of God?!” Eiji suddenly snapped to, a wild thought ran through his head which he accidentally blurted out loud. “Am I dead?!”

“What? No!” The messenger raised a hand to his face, Eiji guessing that he was perhaps pinching his nose and he felt a little bit bad for jumping to conclusions. “I’m here to tell you that my Lord has heard yours and Ash’s prayers.

“Prayer?” Eiji paused but it didn’t take long for him to remember. Leaping forward to grab the blurry figure by the shoulders, he worriedly shook the other. “Is he alright? Is Ash safe?”

But the messenger didn’t reply straight away and Eiji’s heart began to fill with dread.

Shaking the stranger with a bit more force, Eiji didn’t hold back. His voice trembled as he demanded, “Tell me! Where is he? What’s happening?”

“He’s gravely injured right now and…” The messenger hesitated. “He might not make it.”

“Send him to the hospital!” Eiji cried.

“I can’t do that!” The messenger replied firmly, making Eiji withdraw his hands in surprise. “I wish I could…”

Somehow, Eiji wondered whether messengers of God were allowed to show such bias emotions to humans.

“That’s why I came here to offer you a... proposal,” the figure said carefully.

“What is it?” Eiji replied without a single beat. “If there’s anything I can do to save Ash, I’ll do it.”

The messenger paused for a moment, as if he were assessing Eiji and his words. But Eiji was determined. He would do anything for Ash, no matter the cost.

“Ash is currently losing a lot of blood. In a few minutes, he will die. My Lord cannot raise him from the dead but he offered to stop the bleeding. But at a cost…”

“I’ll pay it.” Eiji didn’t even need a second to consider.

“But even if you pay it, there is no guarantee that Ash will survive.” The messenger clarified. “My Lord can only stop the bleeding but whether Ash survives or not is down to his own willpower – his own desire to live.”

“I don’t care,” Eiji shook his head. “Whatever the cost is, if it means that Ash has a chance of surviving, I’ll pay it!”

The messenger seemed to be at a loss for words but he forced himself to continue. “Please think about this carefully. The cost will be yours and Ash’s memories of each other. Everything around you will be altered and your existence will disappear from the other.”

This, however, made Eiji hesitate. His memories? His and Ash’s? But it wasn’t just memories. It was his whole existence. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t make the deal anyway. He would still give them both up if Ash could live. But the time he spent with Ash was important to him. Everything from their first meeting, to everything they went through, to right then in that moment, they were very dear to Eiji.

His chest felt tight just thinking that he and Ash would never remember each other again.

Through the constriction in his throat and the tears pricking his eyes, Eiji was about to reply when the messenger continued.

“But allow me to add one condition.”

This made Eiji purse his lips together, eyes red from withholding tears while a hand went to clutch the front of his shirt in pain and anticipation.

“My Lord offers that if you and Ash were to meet again someday, somehow, He will return everything to you.”

Hearing this, Eiji felt a bit of hope grow within him.

“If by chance, the two of you meet again, among the 7.5 billion people in this world,” the messenger emphasised. “My Lord will return everything to both of you.”

Those words rang clearly in Eiji’s ears and he felt a spark of confidence. He looked straight at the stranger, his gaze directed at where the other’s eyes would be through the blur.

“Will you accept-?”

“I accept!” Eiji interrupted. Even without that added condition, Eiji would have agreed to the deal anyway. He trusted Ash to pull through. He trusted him to survive and visit him in Japan. And he trusted fate to lead them to each other. Even without memories, Eiji was confident that they would meet again.

“There will be no guarantee that he’ll survive,” the messenger reminded but Eiji shook his head.

“He will survive. I’m certain of it.”

The messenger seemed at a loss again but Eiji didn’t hesitate. He firmly held his head up, eyes burning with determination. There was absolutely no room for doubts.

“Very well,” the messenger nodded, reaching a finger out toward Eiji.

Keeping still, Eiji watched as the tip of the other’s finger came closer before it was planted against his forehead. Without knowing why, Eiji’s eyes fell shut, the only thing he could really feel was the small pressure between his brows.

“Then, I shall be taking your memories and altering your reality.”

“Keep them safe for me,” Eiji replied.

“Huh?”

Dark eyes opened slowly as Eiji rephrased. “Keep mine and Ash’s memories safe, because we’ll be needing those back when we meet again.”

Even though the figure was blurry and no features could be seen, Eiji could imagine the smile on the other’s face when he huffed a laugh. “Of course. My Lord will look forward to that day.”

Wave upon waves of memories flashed by dark eyes. Happy and fond moments, painful and sad moments, everything zipped by at an incredible speed yet Eiji could confidently say when and where those events took place. Everything up until that point replayed once and disappeared while past conversations drifted past his ears as if carried by the wind, also disappearing somewhere behind him.

The last thing he saw before everything faded to black was the familiar face of the person he loved most. Elegant jade eyes, soft blond hair and smug grin… Eiji felt himself smile despite the tears he wanted to shed.

“Ash…”


	2. Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash didn’t know why but it felt like Japan was calling for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everyone has had a good week! We’ll be continuing from where we left off with Ash’s POV this chapter. I’m going to aim to have alternating POVs so we get to see both sides of the story. I hope you enjoy~

“Ash…”

Gasping awake from a call of his name, jade eyes snapped open to a white room. The first thing he registered was the strong smell of anaesthetic. With a quick glance around, he confirmed that he was indeed in a hospital and thankfully, in that moment, he was alone. That made him relax a little. A small sigh left him as his gaze directed up to the ceiling.

Trying to figure out how he ended up in hospital, Ash remembered being at the library. He remembered the feeling of restlessness but he wasn’t sure why. But then, Sing came and found him, although the detail of what he needed was unclear. They left the library together and for some reason, Sing called him a stubborn idiot.

Remembering that made Ash’s eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

Then, jade eyes widened as the next scene played out.

In a hurry, Ash stood up and ran. He couldn’t quite recall what made him so desperate but it made his chest feel tight. And in that moment of carelessness, Lao stabbed him.

“Ouch,” Ash hissed under his breath as his wound throbbed at the memory. A huff of a laugh left him as he rolled his eyes, wondering why he let down his guard.

But the event didn’t end there because Ash was confident he shot his killer. In fact, he even dragged himself to the library again despite bleeding quite heavily.

Feeling slightly confused by his own actions, Ash furrowed his brows together. He couldn’t fathom what went on in his mind after being injured. Why return to the library? But more importantly, why did he feel a sense of peace after sitting down at the table? At that time, it felt like he had actually accepted death. He was happy and a part of him didn’t mind for his life to end there.

But there was also a part of him that didn’t want to die. It wasn’t fear. It was more the feeling of longing, something that he desperately wanted, something that he desired to chase.

But he couldn’t remember what it was.

Ash blinked blankly up at the white ceiling with a frown.

Did his injury somehow cause memory loss because surely he would remember something so significant that made him want to live when he was practically at death’s door.

But no matter how much he tried to think, he simply couldn’t remember.

Interrupted by approaching footsteps to his door, Ash put the topic to the back of his mind and watched the door cautiously.

The person who came through was a doctor, carrying a clipboard.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

The doctor proceeded to inform Ash of what happened. Aside from finding out that he had been sleeping for just over a day, everything else was pretty much in line with what he remembered.

Then the doctor presented him with a letter with the name ‘Ash’ clearly written on it. The handwriting made his heart flutter for some reason and he couldn’t have snatched it from the doctor’s hand any faster.

With slightly trembling hands, he pulled out the letter from the already open envelope. Before he could start reading it, however, the doctor spoke up.

“I’ll come back and inform you of your discharge date,” the doctor said, turning to leave but Ash stopped him.

“Wait, let’s discuss that now.”

The letter wasn’t going anywhere so even though his heart was racing in anticipation, he wanted to determine his discharge date while he could, preferably shortening it to the absolute minimum so he could leave the hospital as soon as possible.

Persuading the doctor wasn’t difficult and setting a new date didn’t take long so in little less than a few minutes, Ash was left alone again in his room.

A quiet sigh left him, sparking slight discomfort from his side. He hissed at the pain, a hand reaching down to put pressure on the wound when he noticed the letter again.

Carefully, he picked up the letter from where he left it on his lap. He didn’t know why it made his heart pound. His hands trembled slightly as he began unfolding it, noticing how there were blood stains all over it. He couldn’t understand why his emotions were so frantic, it made him impatient so he just flipped open the letter.

It was blank.

Both sheets of paper were blank, save for splotches of dried blood and water.

Beyond confused, Ash turned the pages over several times, checking and double checking that they were empty of words. He held it up to the light to inspect whether there were any pen indentations in the sheets. There were none. He tried tracing his fingers over the surface but there was nothing that indicated that there was ever anything written on them.

He was just about to call the doctor back to ask whether the letters had been tampered with, removed or replaced when he noticed an extra item in the envelope. Pulling the rectangular piece of firm paper out, jade eyes widened.

It was a flight ticket to Japan. And it was dated two days ago. The day he was stabbed.

Delicate eyebrows furrowed softly as he examined the ticket. He didn’t remember purchasing a flight. And why would he choose to go to Japan? The letters were blank so those weren’t any help, leaving Ash with absolutely no idea what to do.

Tossing the letters aside, they drifted to the floor as he leant back on his bed. He couldn’t help but feel a familiar irritation when he couldn’t figure something out and the only clue he had was something small. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he prayed that if he were to chase after this mysterious letter, it wouldn’t lead him to another incident like banana fish.

Jade eyes glanced to the blank pages on the ground and something urged him to pick them up. He tried to ignore it but for some reason, he just could leave those sheets there.

Forcing himself through the pain in his side, Ash retrieved the letter and the ticket before crawling back into bed.

“Japan, huh.” Ash sighed out loud.

After being discharged from the hospital, Ash met up with the rest of his gang. They all seemed relieved that he was back on his feet. With a few words exchanged about the current situation in the city, Ash made his way back to his apartment for a change of clothes.

The entire way there, he kept his hands in his coat pockets, one hand gripping onto the blank letter as he continued to think about its significance. But no matter how hard he thought, it was nothing more than pieces of paper. He didn’t want to go on a wild goose chase when a huge incident had just ended so when he approached a bin, he took out the letter and prepared to toss it away.

For some reason, however, he simply walked past the bin, letter in hand but unable to throw it away.

Appalled by his strange behaviour, Ash stuffed the papers back into his pocket and quickened his steps. Something was definitely wrong with him. He had been acting weird ever since he saw the letter in the doctor’s hand. He couldn’t understand why his emotions were in such a mess.

Even with every means of distraction he knew, Ash still couldn’t get his mind off the letter and flight ticket that were left on his desk. He would always find his eyes drifting back to them. Sometimes when he left the room, he would feel a sudden tightness in his chest before dashing back to check whether the items were still there. Then he would breathe a sigh of relief when he saw them as if worried that the letter would disappear.

Seeing as he couldn’t stop whatever was happening inside him, he snatched up the letter and left for the library.

Flashbacks to that day made his side throb. Even with a hand putting pressure on the area of recovery, Ash still couldn’t completely shake off the ache. Walking to a section of the library that he rarely frequented, Ash hovered his finger over the spines of many travel books until he reached the ones related to Japan.

With a few books in hand about the history, culture and language of the country, Ash hoped to find some answers to his inexplicable curiosity.

But after a few hours, rather than finding a reason for his attraction to Japan, he actually became even more intrigued.

It was a country he had never visited before, and one that he never even thought to visit but the more he read, the more he felt like it was a place he wanted to see for himself. Japan had an interesting history and culture, something vastly different from what Ash knew about America. There were certainly many aspects that surprised him, one of them being the number of Gods the Japanese believed in.

Surely, 8 million Gods were too many, especially when there was even one for the toilet. When Ash read about it, he huffed a laugh in disbelief, following the next God that caught his eye.

_Bi-n-bo-u-ga-mi…_ Ash tried to pronounce the awkwardly long name for the God of poverty. Really, God of poverty? _I hope he doesn’t come and visit me._ He jokingly thought before a bubble of warmth bloomed in his chest. His hand subconsciously felt that part of his chest and rubbed the warm spot, somehow feeling nostalgic as if he had thought or said something similar before.

With a sigh, he dismissed the strange feeling before continuing to read.

Skipping past the very long list of Gods, Ash came across a section about the land of Gods. It was located in the east of Japan, in the Shimane Prefecture, a place called Izumo.

“Izumo…” Ash read the word quietly aloud. The word felt familiar to his lips, followed by a sudden urge to go there.

It felt as if his breath was suddenly cut off. There was both excitement and desperation in his blood but he couldn’t understand why. His hands felt restless so he grabbed the atlas he had opened, finding Izumo on the map. His fingers traced over the small province. He drew a few lines between it and Tokyo, wondering whether there were any trains or flights that connected those two places.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Ash covered his eyes with a hand, massaging his temples.

What was he doing? Why did he automatically assume that he would go and visit this place called Izumo? It didn’t make sense how he actually began to plan what he would be doing once he arrived in Japan when he wasn’t even sure if he would go or not.

Groaning quietly under his breath, Ash peeked out from behind his fingers. He would never consider himself as an emotional person. He was a stone-cold killer, after all. But for some reason, the topic of Japan, and especially this Izumo place, was stirring his emotions into a mess. Never had he tried to foolishly ‘follow his heart’ but by the look of things, he wasn’t in control at all.

After calming down, Ash did some quick research on Tokyo, finding it not much different from New York, such that it was very urbanised with lots of cars and lots of people. He also wasn’t surprised when he read that there were several gangs active in that area.

Then, pushing the history and culture books to the side, Ash picked up a language book. If he were to go to Japan, which felt increasingly more likely the more he read, Ash figured he should learn a few words, of which he already knew some but he couldn’t remember where he had learnt them from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll confess that I’m no expert when it comes to stab wounds and stuff so maybe Ash waking up 24h after being stabbed is unrealistic but let’s just say that when God stopped the bleeding, it impacted the time it took for Ash to recover? Who knows. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that!! Making all those references that tickled Ash’s memories was both fun and painful but I should have seen that coming when I came up with the idea of memory loss. Welp, we have more of that to come and it’ll be Eiji’s turn next chapter. Thank you for reading!! Update to come on Monday.


	3. Izumo (Eiji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji’s impression of New York was different from what he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! I hope everyone has had a good weekend. This chapter turned out shorter than I wanted because for some reason, I find it hard to write for Eiji. Well, I hope you enjoy anyway~

“Ei-chan,” a voice called him through the haze of sleep. “Ei-chan, wake up!”

A light shake was felt, causing Eiji to stir from his rest, blinking up to see a bearded man looking worriedly at him. “Ibe-san?”

“You’re finally awake,” Ibe smiled softly. “How are you feeling?”

Stifling a yawn, Eiji nodded. “I’m alright. Just a little tired.”

Ibe laughed lightly. “I’m sure you are. We’ve already landed so let’s get you off the plane.”

With the help of Ibe and some other flight attendants, Eiji was back on his wheelchair. He felt bad that Ibe still had to look after him even after leaving America but in his state, it couldn’t be helped.

“Thank you again, Ibe-san,” Eiji said over his shoulder. “For taking me to America.”

“I just ended up getting you involved in something dangerous. I mean, look at you. I don’t feel like I should be thanked for that,” Ibe confessed apologetically.

But Eiji disagreed. “No, it was a real eye-opener. I feel like I learnt a lot from this experience.” But just as he said that, he felt a tight pain that sparked across his chest. A hand gripped the front of his shirt and hunched over a little.

“Ei-chan?!” Ibe-san stopped and rushed in front of Eiji to check on him. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting anywhere?”

“Ah, no,” Eiji straightened up, the passing discomfort disappeared in a blink of an eye. “I just-”

_Want to go back._

Eh?

Eiji paused. He wasn’t sure why he thought that. After being away from home for so long, and only having returned to Japan for not longer than a few minutes, Eiji already felt like going back to New York. But why? He couldn’t understand.

“Ei-chan?” Ibe asked worriedly, snapping Eiji out of his thoughts.

“It’s nothing,” he smiled reassuringly. “I’m alright.”

Catching a taxi back to Ibe’s apartment, Eiji made himself comfortable on the sofa while searching up flight times to Izumo for the weekend. The plan was to stay the night in Tokyo before going to visit Eiji’s family for a few days before returning to the capital to finalise the article about street gangs in New York.

It was strange. Eiji hadn’t been home in months yet he didn’t feel any particular excitement in seeing his family again. His mother welcomed him and Ibe inside, thanking the latter for looking after her son for so long. Dinner was eaten through idle chatter but Eiji felt detached from everything. His mind was clouded by unreachable thoughts, his body felt weighted by something invisible and his heart longed for something to fill a gap he didn’t know when and how it appeared.

“Eiji?” His mother called, snapping him out of his daze.

“Ei-chan, you must be tired,” Ibe said, looking quite anxious at the young man.

He didn’t mean to make Ibe worry but he couldn’t bring himself to smile for some reason. “Sorry, perhaps I am.”

“Let’s take you to your room.”

After bidding his mother, grandmother and sister good night, Ibe helped Eiji to his room, dressing him in his pyjamas before laying him down on his bed.

“Get some rest and we’ll call a doctor tomorrow to check on you and your legs, alright?” Ibe suggested, brushing some hair out of large dark eyes.

“Thank you, Ibe-san,” Eiji smiled softly.

With a small smile back, Ibe got up and left the room. But even after the door shut, Eiji found himself staring blankly up at the ceiling, not feeling tired at all. Under the covers, he tried to wiggle his feet, testing whether he had gained any control over his lower body. It was a struggle, but he could move his toes vaguely.

After a while, Eiji sighed before relaxing his body again. He wanted to be back up on his feet. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, telling him to go somewhere. But he wasn’t sure where. The destination was unclear, as if it were shrouded by a thick layer of fog. It was beckoning him and he was willing to follow because something or someone was waiting for him there.

A quiet knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. His ears perked up as the door creaked open. A small voice called out to him through the crack. “Onii-chan? Are you awake?”

“Yeah, I am,” Eiji said back to his sister. “Did you need something?”

Shuffling into his room, Eiji’s little sister knelt down beside the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” Eiji reached to pat the young girl’s head.

“Did you have fun in New York?”

“It was good,” Eiji replied. “It’s quite like Tokyo, lots of cars and lots of people.”

“Were there any handsome guys?” She asked curiously.

Eiji couldn’t help but laugh. Of course that was what she wanted to know, she was at that age where she began to show an interest, after all. “Yeah, there were.”

“Really?” Her eyes sparkled. “Did you see any people with naturally blond hair? Or colourful eyes like blue or green?”

Eiji paused. There were certainly many people in America with fair hair and bright eyes but what made Eiji pause was the feeling that he was on the verge of remembering something. He felt like he knew a person with exactly those features, handsome, blond hair, and bright eyes. But no matter how much he tried to think, he couldn’t picture the person at all. It was as if he were right there in front of his mind’s eye but an opaque haze blocked his view.

“Onii-chan?”

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Eiji ruffled her hair again. “There were lots of people like that too. Pale skin, blond hair, beautiful… eyes,” he felt his lip quiver. He didn’t know why but he forced himself to keep speaking, not wanting to worry his sister. “But they weren’t the only ones. There were Chinese, Mexicans, Africans too.”

“Wow,” his sister breathed in awe. “Did it feel weird being with them?”

“Not at all,” Eiji laughed lightly. “They were very welcoming. I actually felt very…”

_Safe_. was what Eiji wanted to say but he hesitated because he couldn’t remember anything remotely safe about New York. Amidst the gangfights and bloodshed, what could have possibly given Eiji the impression that it was safe?

“Very comfortable,” was what he said in the end.

A curious sound left his sister’s lips when their mother called for her from the kitchen. A small pout appeared on her as she pushed herself up. “Tell me more about New York tomorrow, Onii-chan.” She smiled brightly. “Goodnight!”

And before he could even utter a goodnight back to her, she was out the door.

As expected, his sister was energetic and curious as always. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth before his thoughts slowly drifted.

Through the haze of oncoming drowsiness, Eiji’s mind was trying to picture someone handsome with pale skin, blond hair, beautiful green eyes. But just as he felt like he was close to remembering something, he fell asleep, the image of the person’s features dissolving into his subconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having to be vague over what they’re trying to remember is seriously bad for my heart. If it feels like I’m teasing you, don’t worry, I feel like I’m teasing myself, orz. Anyway, Ash’s side is coming up next chapter (Friday, hopefully) so I hope to see you then~


	4. Izumo (Ash)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash goes to the place that called for him the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I hope everyone has had a good week!! As of writing, I’m experiencing a powercut so I don’t actually know if this chapter will go out on time. We rarely get powercuts so when it happens, we don’t have a backup generator or anything like that, so we just… wait, orz. Pray that my laptop battery lasts. (Edit: Good new, power came back while I was reading over and editing the chapter so this will be posted on time :D ) Anyway, as the title suggests, Ash is going to Izumo in this chapter but I’m warning you, don’t get your hopes up!!

Stepping off the plane like a walking corpse, Ash couldn’t remember the last time he was this tired from doing absolutely nothing. Reading during the flight gave him headaches after a while, the films available were bland and uninteresting, the food wasn’t to his liking, he couldn’t sleep either, leaving Ash to stare blankly at nothing for several hours.

With a stiff pull of his arms over his head, he gave his muscles a satisfying stretch before loosening his limbs. But the action made him realise that he was missing something.

A wave of panic washed over him as he reached behind him to check his gun that was always half stowed away behind his belt and under his shirt. But then, he remembered that he had left it behind.

A tense breath left him, causing his shoulders to slump.

Unlike America, Japan was a country where guns were illegal. People lived without it, going about their daily lives without a weapon by their side. In truth, it made Ash feel naked. But alternatively, it was a refreshing change. Something which he thought he could get used to with time, just that at that moment, it was too much of a contrast to what he was used to.

Although slightly reluctant at first, Ash managed to survive his second flight to Izumo without much trouble. It was only an hour long which was much more bearable than what he had to go through just to get to Japan. Picking up a light lunch to fill his stomach, Ash didn’t expect to encounter his first major problem so soon after leaving the airport.

“The closest hotel,” was the first thing Ash said to the taxi driver when he climbed into the back. But when he was met with silence, followed by the driver turning his head over his shoulder then blurting a chain of words that Ash couldn’t understand, did he realise where he went wrong.

The driver didn’t speak any English!

Apologising in heavily accepted Japanese, Ash tried to communicate that he wanted to go to the nearest hotel. Even though the driver listened to him intently, without laughing or even a twitch on his face, Ash still felt horribly mortified by how broken his Japanese sounded.

Eventually, he received some form of affirmative before the driver changed gear and drove off. A breath of relief left him as he looked out the window.

Compared to the city of New York and Tokyo where there were skyscrapers and busy roads, Izumo was the complete opposite. On either side of him were fields of crops, sparse houses with distant mountains in the background. It looked very much like the photos he saw in the travel books back at the library in New York but seeing it in person was a whole new experience. Even the countryside in America wasn’t like this.

They drove for a little while before the driver pulled over in front of a few buildings. Ash got out and assessed the building which looked more like an inn. But before he voiced his concern, an old lady came out and greeted him. With an awkward bow, he greeted her back and asked whether there was a room and she nodded with a soft smile. It didn’t look like he had any other choice so after paying the driver and bowing to him too, Ash followed the old lady inside.

The room with which he was provided was in good condition. The innkeeper showed him where the futon and towels were stored and gave him some direction for the bathroom. Ash politely gave her his thanks before she excused herself, leaving him to set his belongings down and lie down, finally able to relax a little.

He had only been in Japan for a few hours and yet, he was surprised in a good way and a bad way. The good surprise was that in Izumo, it was peaceful, a significant contrast to the bustle of New York that he was used to. But the bad surprise was that no one spoke any English. It wasn’t even the issue of whether they had a thick accent but the people there really didn’t appear to know even a single word or two.

A sigh left Ash. If only everyone had a similar level of English to that Japanese he met not too long ago.

Wait. When did he meet a Japanese?

Suddenly bolting upright, Ash did his best to hold that thought but he felt like the more he tried to keep it within his grasp, the quicker it slipped away.

In less than a minute, Ash’s mind went blank, unable to picture this Japanese man that he barely remembered meeting.

A frustrated sigh left him as he lied back down, turning onto his side. And without meaning to, he fell asleep.

Startling awake from a dreamless nap to a room he didn’t recognise, a part of Ash instantly went to look for his gun. But when he couldn’t find it, he remembered that he was in Japan. Breathing out a sigh to calm himself, he snatched up his phone to check the time and realised that it was already late afternoon.

Deciding to take a walk around the area before working up an appetite to find a place to eat, Ash grabbed his jacket and left the inn.

The Japanese countryside really was a contrast to that in America. The atmosphere in Izumo was comfortable. The people were also pleasant and welcoming of foreigners. He could just imagine that anyone growing up in this type of environment would turn out kind and honest. The thought of someone like that made the corners of Ash’s lips curl upward.

But before he noticed, it disappeared as he heard a distinct metal _clink_ sound. Ash couldn’t quite determine what the noise was but it sounded familiar. Keeping an eye out for wherever the sound came from, Ash went towards it. It wasn’t long before he heard it again, followed by another one. And just as he turned the corner, he was met with a fenced off baseball field.

From where he stood slightly on a hill, he could see the whole field, scattered with students in uniform, shouting and calling at one another. It had been a long time since he last saw anything to do with baseball, and to think that he would see it in Japan was a pleasant surprise.

Jade eyes looked over the grounds before seeing the school building just beyond the opposite side of the fence. Interested to see what it would be like, Ash made his way over there.

At his age, had Ash lived a normal life, he would be in his final year of high school. He couldn’t imagine himself living a life like that but seeing this high school in Izumo made him wonder. If he were just a normal highschooler, what would he be like? A curious thought but it was impossible to answer.

A few whispering voices made him look to the three highschool girls leaving school. They all had their eyes on him with hands covering smiles. Ash knew what those looks were and with a quick turn on his heels, he walked away with his head down. They probably hadn’t ever seen a foreigner before and for him whose features were so distinct, he wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Around the other side of the school was another field. By then, Ash had already lost interest and was thinking of just walking past when a shadow of a human flashed before him. There was no one around him, meaning that shadow had to be from afar. But at this angle, he would have to be up in the sky-

Both surprised and confused, Ash turned to look out onto the school athletics field. What caught his eye, however, wasn’t the people running on the track, wasn’t those jumping hurdles, wasn’t those throwing javelins, but the single individual who launched himself up into the sky by using nothing but a pole. Jade eyes watched as his body curled over a high bar, narrowly missing contact before he began his descent.

Something stirred strongly in Ash’s chest and he couldn’t help himself but grip the front of his shirt. He felt short of breath, his throat tight and dry.

Walking up to the fence and gripping it with his hand, he watched as another athlete readied himself from the other side while the other got off the crash mat. The way the next individual stood with the pole in hand, back straight and confident, was somehow familiar. Even when he released a breath and relaxed his shoulders before taking off into a run, Ash felt as if he had seen it before.

But the way the athlete had launched himself into the air and over the bar wasn’t quite right. Ash felt a pang of disappointment as the highschooler made it safely over the bar and onto the mat. There wasn’t anything wrong. In fact, the coach waved him over and patted him on the head in praise. However to Ash, it wasn’t what he was looking for. He didn’t fly the same way as…

The same way as who?

Running a hand through his hair with a strange feeling of frustration, Ash turned away from the students and walked away.

Didn’t look quite right? Who was he to judge? It wasn’t like Ash knew anything about pole vaulting so who was he to be so critical. Irritated, he let out a huff. What exactly was it that he was looking for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so two things to say about this chapter… About Ash’s struggles with speaking Japanese, I realised that he could have just used his phone for a translator XD But making Ash attempt to speak Japanese was good fun. The other thing is, highschool Ash is something I want. I have some vague ideas for a fic on it (highschool au) but I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to writing it. I want to though so we’ll see. Anyway, thank you for reading!! We’ll be in Tokyo with Eiji’s pov on Monday.


	5. Photo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji wonders why there were some unusual photos among those Ibe took while in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back!! This chapter only really has one focus so it turned out short again, so apologies that Eiji gets another short chapter, orz. Anyway, I hope you enjoy~

Pushing the door open with his foot, Eiji walked in with a box of photos. “Ibe-san, I’ve brought them.”

“Oh, thank you, Ei-chan,” Ibe replied from where he was sat at the computer typing out his report. “I’m sorry for making you work so soon after getting back on your feet.”

Setting the box down on the other desk, Eiji replied with a slight shake of his head. “It’s alright. I was getting restless anyway.”

“Yes but didn’t you want to stay at home for a few more days?”

“A weekend was long enough,” Eiji smiled softly. “And it seems like I got used to the city life.”

Ibe still didn’t look convinced but he didn’t press the matter. It wasn’t that Eiji didn’t notice but over the weekend while with his family, his mind was plagued with something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. His emotions were also very confused, making him feel incredibly restless and fidgety. So, even though he had only regained the ability to walk a few days ago, he wanted to follow Ibe back to Tokyo where they could work on the article about street gangs together and occupy his mind.

Not long after setting the box of photos on the table, Ibe called over his shoulder.

“Ei-chan, can you see if you can find any photos of that time at the bar?”

“Oh, okay,” Eiji replied, taking out the photos in small stacks before scattering them over the table to find what he was looking for. “Got it!” He announced when he pulled out one of a few gang members gathered at the bar counter.

In the photo, there were two people. Their backs were to the camera, an order given by the leader to not capture any of their faces. They were clearly talking to each other but Eiji wondered why they spoke with an empty chair between them as if there should be a third person in their conversation. 

“Ei-chan?”

“Ah, right,” Eiji snapped out of it and went to give Ibe the photo. “This one looks good.”

Taking the photo to have a look, Ibe hummed in thought. “Hmm, this could work…”

The way Ibe trailed off made Eiji wonder what was wrong. “Ibe-san?”

“I’m just struggling to think of things to write,” Ibe confessed, turning back to his computer to look over his draft. “A lot happened out there but we didn’t manage to catch much of it.” He sighed heavily.

Eiji wasn’t sure what to say.

“Maybe I should just leave out the American gang section,” Ibe thought aloud.

“No!” Eiji reacted without thinking, surprising Ibe. “I mean,” he decided to rephrase so he didn’t come across as too rude. “Maybe we shouldn’t give up so soon.”

Ibe watched Eiji for a moment before he smiled softly. “Alright, Ei-chan. I’ll do my best.”

Taking the photo of the bar counter back to his desk, Eiji sat down to start sorting the photos. He planned to divide them into two main groups, ones that could be used in Ibe’s article while others were general holiday photos. Then, among those that were work related, Eiji followed Ibe’s rough outline of how he wanted the article organised before picking out the ones that may be suitable.

But as he went through the photos individually, he noticed that a handful of photos were lacking a subject. There were ones of just a wall, or a sofa, or an open window which didn’t depict anything to do with gang life in New York. It made Eiji wonder why he or Ibe would have taken such photos. But for some reason, he didn’t have the heart to put them into the discard pile of blurry, unusable photos so he settled them in the to-be-sorted-later pile.

Among the holiday photos, there were many of famous locations such as the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island’s ferris wheel, the national history museum and the public library.

The public library.

Looking at the photo, Eiji felt a warm feeling in his chest. He frequented that building often while in New York but he couldn’t quite recall what he needed inside. All he could remember was feeling content whenever he came back out.

Another photo that caught his eye was one by the river. Eiji stood alone against the metal railings, looking out to the city across the water. He didn’t even know when Ibe took the photo but seeing himself there, basking in the light of the setting sun on his own was quite lonely. Even though there were other people further along in the photo, the focus was on him and somehow, it stirred something sad inside his chest.

Just about to put the photo down, Eiji noticed among the others in the photo that there was a couple just within shot. They were standing oddly close together so he looked at them carefully before realising that they were kissing. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, he tossed the photo into the holiday pile before moving onto the next one. But he couldn’t help but think that those two were happy, sharing an intimate moment like that, not even afraid to show their affection in public. Eiji’s heart throbbed, thinking that it must have been nice. And without being aware of it himself, his hand moved to his mouth, running his thumb over his lips before feeling as if he was remembering something.

He lost his first kiss! At least, he was more or less certain that he lost it in New York.

But when exactly did he lose it? And to whom? Some people believed that first kisses were something everyone remembered for life. So if it had happened recently, how could Eiji possibly forget?

But no matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn’t think of a time where he was close enough to someone for them to kiss. His chest was tight and his fingertips felt numb. Perhaps Eiji was asleep at the time? But that didn’t seem very likely.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his confusion, Eiji forced himself to continue sorting the photos but he couldn’t completely dismiss his train of thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! It’s Ash’s chapter on Friday and judging by the plan, it won’t be a short one like this time. Until then~


	6. Ramen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash runs into some trouble in a ramen restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! Not much to say from me, just that this chapter was good fun to write. There’s some action/fighting so uhh, slight violence warning? Anyway, please enjoy~

Returning to Tokyo after a few days in Izumo, Ash was feeling quite disappointed. He visited all the recommended areas but nothing he came across quelled the strange feeling he had dwelling at the back of his mind. The more he thought about it, the quicker it slipped away. It would resurface at the most random times, triggered by the most random of things. Yet, no matter what, he didn’t feel as if he was getting any closer to whatever it was. He had no way of figuring out what it was he was search for.

Finding a ramen restaurant off the main street of Tokyo, Ash sat down and ordered something random on the menu for dinner. It wasn’t like he had given up learning Japanese but with so many characters and different rules, he wasn’t very optimistic. Plus, he wasn’t even sure how much longer he was willing to stay in Japan given how unsuccessful his journey had been so far.

With a sigh, he waited for his meal to be served.

Before long a generous bowl of ramen with a variety of meat, vegetables and a boiled egg was placed in front of him. It looked very appetising so after snapping apart his chopsticks, he didn’t hesitate to take a bite. Humming at the taste of noodles mixed in a rich broth, Ash was enjoying his meal until he noticed a clump of sticky beans under the boiled egg. A frown pulled at the sight of it, his instincts already telling him that he wasn’t going to like it. But he didn’t want to dismiss it without even trying. So with much hesitation and reluctance he couldn’t explain, Ash picked a chain of them up with his chopsticks and tasted them.

The reaction came immediately. His entire body quivered at the texture, all his hairs stood on end. Even though there was a momentary flash of nostalgia, the overwhelming flavour made him snatched up a napkin and spit the thing out of his mouth. He chugged down a glass of water to rinse his mouth but it still left a bad taste. He couldn’t remember the last time he had something that tasted so unpleasant.

Pushing the beans to one side, Ash didn’t even make it two bites into the remaining noodles when someone rudely kicked open the restaurant door.

Sucking in the ramen that was dangling from his mouth, jade eyes panned over to see a group of ten or so street gangsters stroll in. The one at the front was naturally the leader, chatting loudly over his shoulder with his lackeys. Arrogance and trouble were oozing out of them and Ash figured that he should best finish his meal quickly and get out of there before they kicked up a fuss.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance before the leader noticed him. Silence fell in the restaurant. Without even needing to look, Ash knew that all attention was on him. He mentally sighed in irritation as he prepared himself for what was to come.

“Oi, oi,” the leader began, coming up next to Ash while saying a bunch of other stuff in Japanese which he couldn’t understand.

Deciding to play ignorant, Ash didn’t react or respond, angering the other as he slapped his palm firmly onto the table, spilling the broth a little over the edge of the bowl.

Not really having much choice, Ash looked up at him.

The man was bigger than Ash. Not exactly much taller but he was wide. He had a piercing on his eyebrow, nose and lip, sporting a tattoo that went from the side of his neck that continued down and disappearing under his top. Anyone would be intimidated by this person but Ash grew up in those types of situations. His mind wasn’t panicking. In fact, he was planning the quickest way of taking him out if they were to engage in a fight.

The leader reacted upon seeing Ash’s face. There was a flash of something disgustingly familiar in his dark eyes – lust. It was the same no matter where he went.

The leader then turned his head slightly over his shoulder and said something to his subordinate, who replied with something else. Ash tried to pick apart what was said but all he understood was ‘time’ and ‘foreigner’.

With those two words alone, Ash couldn’t possibly figure out what the gang leader wanted. But when he brought up his hand, vulgar fingers reaching towards Ash’s face, it wasn’t hard to guess.

With a flick of his wrist, Ash batted the approaching hand away. Jade eyes glared back at the other who seemed surprised by the counter. But the pause didn’t last as a smirk appeared on the man’s face before he reached out his other hand.

Twisting on his seat, Ash planted the bottom of his foot firmly against the other’s stomach before kicking him back. The leader stumbled back and hit another table, toppling food onto the floor. The rest of the gang gaped at the scene for a second, giving Ash just enough time to get up before they roared and charged at him.

It was way too cramped to fight so many people so with a quick glance around, Ash located the window before knocking the first approaching lackey with a strong hook to the face. Throwing him back at the oncoming attackers to delay them, Ash dashed for the window. But one read his movements and blocked his exit. Still, that didn’t stop the blond as he leapt up and kicked him straight through the glass. A clear shattering sound was heard followed by a dull thud and Ash himself jumped through the broken window. Accidentally cutting his hand from where he gripped the window frame, he also grazed his cheek and upper arm on the still attached glass shards.

The leader of the group shouted something and his followers replied in unison, chasing after Ash. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he assessed his surroundings, looking for the best way of losing his pursuers but because it wasn’t his home turf, he had to rely on instinct.

Ducking and diving into small alleyways, Ash was deep in some urban maze. He could still hear people chasing him but he couldn’t see anyone whenever he looked behind him. But just as he turned the corner, he was met with a dead end.

“Shit!” He cursed, retracing his steps and hoping that they didn’t catch up.

Thankfully, they didn’t so Ash continued to run. But it seemed that little bit of wasted time allowed some of them to get ahead of Ash. Their voices were much closer and before he knew it, he turned the corner and his path was blocked.

Two of the gang members were there, a big, fat man with a baseball bat and a smaller, shorter one with a knife. Unarmed, Ash was at a clear disadvantage. Backing up a step, he considered making a run back the way he came when he saw in the distance, three figures running towards him.

He was cornered!

The two in front of him seemed to have sensed his hesitation and decided to strike but Ash was on guard.

Catching the wrist that held the knife, Ash made sure that the blade was pointed away from him when he raised his free arm to guard against the incoming swing of a bat. But before that attack hit, he received a knee to his stomach. The shorter man smirked, making Ash’s eyebrow twitch but he couldn’t be bothered with it when he had to focus on keeping his arm guard. The impact of the bat against his upper arm was fierce, he was sure to bruise heavily from that.

With a sore stomach and arm, Ash steeled himself before retaliating.

Kicking the one with the bat in the hip, he stumbled a few steps back. Then with a swift turn, Ash hurled the one with the knife over his shoulder. His back landed harshly against the ground, knocking the air out of him. The knife clattered to the ground loudly. Ash, however, didn’t have time to pick it up before the fat one recovered, charging at him with the bat again. But now that it was only one opponent, Ash easily deduced his victory.

With an easy duck, Ash swiped the man’s legs from beneath him and he crashed to the ground.

Coughing harshly at the pain sparking from his abs, Ash barely had any time to catch his breath before hurried steps and voices approached him from behind. Snatching up the knife on the ground, he dashed forward.

Thankfully, it only took a few lucky guesses before Ash came out of the alleyways. He could still feel people pursuing him so with a quick glance around, he spotted a car driving up the road and Ash didn’t hesitate to step out and block its way.

The driver braked immediately, causing the wheels to screech a little but Ash didn’t care. He hurried over to the back seat, pulled open the door and dived in.

“Drive,” Ash ordered, holding the knife up to the other’s bearded chin. Even if the driver didn’t speak any English, he could probably guess what to do otherwise he would be dead.

Putting his foot on the pedal, the driver accelerated.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Ash watched as that alleyway drifted further and further away. It was only when it was out of sight did he relax, withdrawing his knife from the driver. But the moment he leant back on his seat, a spark of pain shook his body, making him curl in on himself as his stomach throbbed uncomfortably. His arm also began to ache and he couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

“Hey,” the driver spoke up, making Ash perk up. A handkerchief was held in front of him and he wasn’t sure what the other wanted. “Your arm’s bleeding.”

Hearing English for the first time, Ash felt both an excited and relieved flutter in his chest. “You speak English?” Ash couldn’t help but ask, taking the offered handkerchief.

“I know some,” the bearded man replied, looking back at Ash through the rear-view mirror. “Are you American?”

“Yeah,” Ash answered, dabbing his hand and arm of blood, the cuts being deeper than he expected.

“You don’t look like a tourist.”

Ash huffed a laugh. “I’m just a wandering cat. Don’t worry, I’ll be going back to America soon.” It wasn’t like he had anything worth staying for in Japan anyway.

The driver didn’t respond straight away but Ash didn’t care. Rolling up his sleeve to check where the bat hit his arm, that area was glowing red and purple, swelling a little and painful to touch.

“Should I drop you off at the hospital?” The driver asked, again watching Ash through the rear-view mirror.

“No need,” Ash waved dismissively. “Just drop me off somewhere another five minutes away.”

And without any more chatter, the driver really did pull over after five minutes and let Ash out. Wherever he was, it was a quiet area of the city, most likely a residential area. Even though there was worry in the other’s dark eyes, Ash didn’t care. He thanked the man with a small wave before staggering onto the pavement.

Having walked only a few steps, Ash had to stop and lean against the wall. Not only did his middle really hurt, making it difficult to walk, Ash also felt a little lightheaded. He crouched down and curled in on himself, trying to focus his mind but his vision was swimming and he really didn’t want to move.

Vaguely, he heard the sound of a car door slamming. Footsteps approached him and it took all of Ash’s energy just to look at the other. He was surprised to see that it was the driver.

“I really can’t leave you like this.”

Without even asking, the bearded man looped Ash’s uninjured arm over his shoulder and carried him back to the car. Normally, Ash would be very cautious of any stranger being nice to him because they would ask something in return. And in most cases, it would be Ash’s body. But for some reason, he didn’t get that kind of vibe from that person. And somewhere in his heart, it reminded him of another individual who cared for him unconditionally.

Sitting in the backseat again, Ash was drifting in and out of consciousness. Through his drowsiness, he registered the ringing of an incoming call from the driver’s phone. Watching him with barely open eyes, the bearded man picked up and put the device to his ear, greeting the other on the other side of the line. Ash understood the first word. It was a special form of ‘hello’ that was commonly used over the phone. But it was the second word that stirred something in Ash.

“Hello, Ei-chan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that’s right – the driver was Ibe!! I hope you enjoyed that. We’ll continue with Eiji’s pov next chapter after the weekend. Thank you for reading!! Until then~


	7. Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a familiar scent but Eiji couldn’t figure out why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! As of writing, I’m incredibly tired and sleepy… I’ve been cramming in so much work over the weekend because I’m going on a 4 day trip starting tomorrow. And because of this trip, I’m gonna start working on the next chapter after I post this because otherwise, I wont have time. I just hope I can finish it because if not Friday’s update will be late – I’m sorry ;_; Anyway, as always (I don’t do it on purpose), Eiji has another short chapter. Please enjoy!!

Freshly out of the shower, Eiji held his phone to his ear while towelling his hair dry with his other hand. He patiently listened to the ringing before hearing the call connect.

“Hello, Ei-chan?”

“Hello, Ibe-san!” Eiji greeted with a smile. “I’m thinking of going to the supermarket tomorrow. Is there anything you’d like me to buy to bring to the office?”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be coming to the office tomorrow,” Ibe replied with some hesitance in his voice. It made Eiji furrow his eyebrows in slight confusion.

“Eh? Why not?”

“Something came up. Sorry, Ei-chan.”

Whatever it was, Eiji trusted that Ibe knew what to do. “It’s okay. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. It’s just…” He trailed off for a moment, Eiji hearing some rustling before Ibe continued. “Actually, Ei-chan, would you mind doing me a favour?”

“Sure,” Eiji nodded even though the other couldn’t see him.

“Could you pick up some food tomorrow morning and bring them over, please? Just a few cups of ramen or something will do, nothing too fancy.”

Eiji wanted to make a snarky remark about Ibe’s sudden craving for instant ramen but he held his tongue and agreed. “Alright. Is that the only thing? Do you need anything from the office?”

“No, I can access a lot of my work at home so I’ll manage.”

Not wanting to pry any further Eiji nodded again. They shared a few more words before hanging up but he couldn’t help but wonder what happened.

The next morning, Eiji had a light breakfast before making his way straight to the supermarket. Picking up a handful of cup ramen of different flavours, Eiji dropped Ibe a message as he was leaving before waving down a taxi to the other’s apartment.

With a few knocks at his door, Ibe was at the door.

“Ah, Ei-chan!”

“I’ve got your cup ramen, Ibe-san.” Eiji smiled, holding up the plastic bag.

“They’re not for me,” Ibe confessed, stepping to the side with an arm. “Anyway, come on in.”

Eiji’s eyebrows furrowed a little at what Ibe said but he didn’t voice it straight away until he took off his shoes. “What do you mean they’re not for you?” Eiji asked, setting the bag on the kitchen counter before taking the items out.

“Well, you see, yesterday I-”

But before Ibe could finish whatever it was that he wanted to say, there was a clatter in the guest room.

Rushing over, Ibe knocked on the door. “Hey, are you okay in there?!”

There was no response, however. Ibe glanced over his shoulder at Eiji who looked back at him in confusion. He didn’t know what to do but went over to the other anyway.

Carefully opening the door, Ibe peeked into the guest room before throwing the door completely open, startling Eiji in the process.

“No way!” Ibe exclaimed, running into the room.

“Ibe-san? What’s wrong?” Eiji followed. What he saw was an empty room with the window open. Ibe had his head out of the window, hands supporting his body on the windowsill as he looked out. The bed was unmade and there was a first aid kit open on the bedside table. Eiji didn’t need anything else to picture what had happened.

“Your guest ran away?”

“How is he even able to move in his condition,” Ibe sighed, pulling his head back inside.

Eiji walked over to the open first aid kit to inspect the items while Ibe leant against the wall and explained.

“I was on my way back yesterday when a foreign teenager jumped into my car and threatened me with a knife.”

“Eh?!” Eiji spun around with wide eyes but Ibe held out a hand to stop him from asking any questions.

“He told me to drive so I did. I think he was running away from something or someone because he kept glancing back over his shoulder. He was hurt too. A cut on his cheek, hand and upper arm, a bad bruise on his arm and a worse one on his stomach.”

“So you took him back here to treat his wounds?” Eiji asked.

“Yeah,” Ibe answered. “He actually asked to be left somewhere random but when he got out the car and keeled over, I couldn’t just leave him.”

“How old was he?”

“He can’t be older than you,” Ibe looked at Eiji as if to compare their ages. “He said he was American. What a coincidence, huh.” Ibe laughed lightly. “We just came back from there, after all. Blond hair, green eyes… quite a looker. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were running away from a group of perverts.”

But by then, Eiji wasn’t really listening. His mind was stuck on a few details. Younger than Eiji, American, blond hair, green eyes, good looking… It was as if he were on the verge of remembering something.

“Ei-chan?”

Thoughts interrupted by the call of his name, Eiji looked up to see Ibe looking worriedly at him.

“Are you okay?”

“S-Sorry!” Eiji waved his hands in front of him to dismiss any concerns. “I was just thinking whether he’s going to be alright.”

“I hope so,” Ibe sighed again. “But we have no way of knowing. I didn’t even get his name because he refused to talk.”

Eiji nodded absently, dark eyes trailing over the messy bed before noticing some red stains in the sheets. Reaching out to pull them aside, Eiji revealed that there were some dried blood stains.

“Ah! He started bleeding again and didn’t tell me?!” Ibe groaned into his hand. “Right, Ei-chan, I need your help to get these sheets washed before they stain permanently.”

“O-Okay,” Eiji responded, watching as Ibe hurried out of the room.

Without needing to be told twice, Eiji began to pull the sheets loose, wafting the scent of the stranger into the air. It was a warm scent, his chest fluttering for a moment. A part of him actually wanted to smell the covers again because it was attractive but on second thought, that would be a little bit creepy.

Shaking his head clear of strange thoughts, Eiji gathered up the sheets and threw them into the washing machine. With a wipe of his nose with the back of his hand, Eiji caught the scent of the stranger again. This time, on his hand.

He really liked the scent. It gave him a feeling of nostalgia. It stirred something inside his heart. And he couldn’t help but want to follow it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were so close to meeting, ahhh!! I promise, I’ll stop teasing soon. Thank you for reading!! I’ll try to get the next chapter out on Friday, if I don’t then it’ll definitely come on Saturday – until then!!


	8. Shopping Mall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s difficult to say whether Ash is unlucky or lucky…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! This chapter is probably the chapter you’ve all be waiting for. I tried to be vague with the summary to avoid spoiling anything but you can probably already guess it ;D The chapter turned out a little bit shorter than expected but I don’t feel like forcing out more words just to make it longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy~

Groaning at the discomfort sparking from his stomach, Ash leant against a pillar in a busy shopping mall in the city. Since finding a place to eat off the main street led him to trouble with local gangs like the previous day, Ash decided to eat somewhere out in the open. But with how much pain he was in, he wasn’t even sure if he could eat anything.

Sighing to himself, a part of him wished he had stayed at the driver’s apartment for a little while longer. He provided Ash with a bed and treated his wounds. He even got a good night sleep out of it. But he knew better than to overstay his welcome in case the driver might have had ulterior motives. Moreover, in the morning, he heard someone else enter the apartment. And Ash wasn’t the type to stick around to find out who it was. So he decided to flee through the window and find a quiet place to lay low and rest.

Wandering around the shopping mall, there were a wide selection of restaurants, a handful not even traditionally Japanese. But either Ash wasn’t hungry or his stomach was still too beat up, nothing seemed appealing.

He wasn’t sure how long he walked around when he heard screaming from the floor above.

Running to the edge that overlooked the centre atrium, Ash craned his neck up to see what was happening. But before he could see anything, sounds of men shouting followed by glass shattering was heard. Then the security guards from the ground floor rushed to the centre escalators, shouting and pointing towards the main entrance. All around him, people were pushing and shoving to the stairs and lifts. It wasn’t hard for Ash to guess that they were ordering people to leave the building.

It was at that moment that the harsh ringing of the fire alarm sounded. This made sure to evacuate everyone from the shopping mall but it only added more panic within the masses.

Turning to leave himself, Ash didn’t make it a few steps with the crowd when he was elbowed in the side. A white flash of pain erupted from his middle and he staggered to the side, gripping the railing as he hunched over. Perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn’t eaten yet, otherwise he was certain that he’d hurl from that impact.

Whatever was going on above was still happening. Shouts and cries were accompanied by smashing glass and violent noises. And with the fire alarm blaring in his ears, Ash felt more and more irritated. Still, he couldn’t move. He was in too much pain.

By that time, the floor he was on was already pretty empty. He had to move and get out of there before he got himself caught up in any trouble. But it seemed the world just wanted Ash to get dragged in.

Charging through one of the doors leading to the side staircases, a man stumbled over the threshold before running in the opposite direction to where Ash was. Following him were four other men, obviously his pursuers. Looking frantically around for the person they were chasing, one shouted and pointed before dashing off. However, another shouted and pointed the other way, and the target of that was Ash.

A rapid flash of yesterday’s encounter resurfaced and Ash vaguely remembered them.

They were members of the gang he fought!

What rotten luck did Ash have to run into the same people two days in a row.

With a quick pivot on his heel, Ash forced himself to run. His body was crying out in white hot pain, wanting to refuse. But the adrenaline being pumped through his blood carried him forward.

Behind him, the four pursuers split up. Two chased after their original target while the other two ran after Ash.

_It hurt. It hurts. It really fucking hurts!_

Those were the only words screaming in Ash’s mind. His running was sloppy. He didn’t have a chance of outrunning his pursuers. They were probably closing the distance rapidly. In dread, he chanced a glance over his shoulder to look behind him and they really weren’t far away.

Another stairway exit was ahead. He really didn’t think he could make it. His body was crying out in agony. Tears were threatening to fall. He could barely feel anything anymore.

And just when he felt hope slipping away from his fingers, the door to the stairway opened. Jade eyes shrank as his heart sank with dread.

The police were there. Batons were out. They wore grave and dangerous expressions.

Ash really couldn’t be dealing with them!

Why? Just why was his life so full of these incidences? Why did he always find himself dragged into these messes? Never in his life had there been a peaceful moment. Not a single moment of rest. Not a single thing was his choice.

Everything really did seem hopeless.

“Ash!”

Amidst the thick fog of despair, a ray of light shone through, illuminating his path and beckoning Ash towards him.

Down below on the ground floor, someone called out to him. In a foreign country where it was near to impossible for anyone to know him, someone called out to Ash by name. And it wasn’t just anyone because Ash recognised that voice.

He knew that voice!

Twisting around despite the pain that erupted around his middle, Ash abruptly ran to the edge, hands braced on the railings to look down at the person who called him.

Among those in police uniform, there was one individual fighting off two officers. Struggling against each other, the Japanese young man gazed up. There was fire in dark brown eyes and even from where Ash stood, he could feel the intensity. It bored straight into his being and he felt as if he were pierced by something.

Flashes upon flashes of memories bombarded his mind. He felt like his head was about to explode. Several months of events filled the gaps in his mental timeline. His heart was flooded with missing emotions. The persistent cloud that enshrouded what he was looking for cleared. And everything finally pieced together like a well-fitted puzzle.

“Jump!” The young man called from below. His arms were spread wide on either side of him. They were welcoming and calling for him.

Without any hesitation, Ash swung his leg over and leapt off the edge.

_Eiji…!_

He really did feel like crying in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY’VE DONE IT, AHHH!! I hope you enjoyed that!! The scene of Ash jumping from somewhere high and into Eiji’s arms was actually one of the original ideas of this fic so I’m very happy that we’ve made it this far. As some of you may have noticed, we have 2 more chapters of this fic which means we’ll be done by this time next week (Friday). Thank you for reading up until this point, and I hope to see you after the weekend!!


	9. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji’s side of the shopping mall incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, sorry that it’s a little later than usual. We had a long weekend here so things have been a bit busier. Anyway, as the summary says, this is Eiji’s side of what happened last chapter so if you liked what happened, we kind of get it again, hehe~ I hope you enjoy!!

Eiji and Ibe just so happened to be at the shopping mall for dinner when a fight between two gangs broke out. It started on the upper floor where they were so they quickly made their way to the ground floor to escape danger. However, due to the sudden rush of people, they were stuck at the stairwell for a while.

And that was when the fire alarm sounded.

The people around them began to panic. There was lots of pushing and shoving. And before Eiji knew it, he had lost Ibe amidst the disorganised crowd. When the police arrived, Eiji was half way to getting outside when he heard shouting from the upper floors. Turning his head, he saw one man dashing away quickly in one direction, followed by two others. But in the opposite direction, there was another two chasing after a young man.

A blond man.

Something about him drew in Eiji’s attention. It even made him swim against the current of people. He instinctively chased after the blond man.

No. He wasn’t just some random blond man. Eiji knew that person.

And in a moment where that person turned his head over his shoulder to regard his pursuers, Eiji caught a glimpse of his features.

Like being slapped around the face with a wet fish, Eiji felt a surge of memories and emotions flood into his mind and heart. It hit him harder than a truck, faster than a train. And suddenly, everything fell into place.

That certainly wasn’t just any blond man.

That was Ash!

Desperation roared in his blood as he forced his way through the crowd. He didn’t even bother to apologise to those he shoved aside because there was someone who he had to reach.

Once he made it out of the crowd, he charged through the police officers in his haste. Some were surprised and shouted at him but he didn’t care. Even when two were restraining him, he didn’t care. Because there was someone he just had to call out to.

“Ash!”

Eiji shouted at the top of his lungs. Struggling against the officers on either side of him, Eiji looked up in hopes that the other heard him. But Ash didn’t just hear him, he even stopped to look at him.

Seeing the other once again, Eiji felt tears assault his eyes. He could break down and bawl his eyes out in that instant but he kept it together. With strength he didn’t know he had, he shoved the officers aside, freeing his arms.

“Jump!”

Spreading his arms wide, Eiji wanted nothing but to catch Ash. He wanted nothing but for his best friend, his soul mate, his most treasured person to be in his arms. He wanted nothing but to protect him.

Like a bird taking off from a high branch, Ash planted his feet on the railings and launched himself off. With the ceiling light providing a dazzling glow around his body, Ash looked like an angel descending from Heaven.

And where was he going to land?

Where else but in Eiji’s arms.

Crashing into his chest, the weight of Ash toppled Eiji to the ground. His back landed with a harsh thud, knocking all the air out of his lungs. Coughing harshly to get his breath back, Eiji tightened his hold on the person on top of him. The heaviness against his entire body just proved that Ash was really there, in Japan and in his arms.

“Eiji…! Eiji!” Ash cried into his shoulder, snuggling tightly into the crook of his neck, his hold not loosening even the slightest.

“I’m here.” Eiji could barely hold in his tears. “I’m here, Ash.”

Against his chest, Eiji could feel Ash’s furious heartbeat. Whether it was from him running away from his pursuers, or jumping off at a great height, or being in Eiji’s arms, he didn’t know. But for Eiji who didn’t do any running or jumping, his heart wasn’t beating any less hard. In fact, it was thundering in his chest and in his ears.

Some of the police officers gathered around them, seeming to be hesitant about interrupting their moment. One crouched down to ask whether Eiji was alright and he replied with a reassuring smile.

But when another reached out to pull Ash away, the blond roared aggressively. “Don’t touch me!”

Even if the officers didn’t understand English, just the tone of his voice was enough to deter anyone. They glanced unsurely between themselves before speaking to Eiji.

“It’s dangerous here,” one explained. “We need you to leave.”

“I understand,” Eiji replied, absently rubbing circles into Ash’s back to soothe the other’s tension.

Then, with a light nudge of his chin into blond hair, Eiji spoke in a soft tone. It was so gentle that perhaps even the closest police officer couldn’t hear him.

“Ash,” Eiji began. “We should go. We’re in the way here.”

“I don’t want to,” Ash argued childishly.

It made Eiji huff a small laugh. He missed this side of Ash. In fact, he missed all of Ash. Everything about him.

“C’mon,” Eiji encouraged. “I’m not going to let go of you.”

With a reluctant whine, Ash suddenly pushed himself up. His hands planted on either side of Eiji’s head before he lowered himself to press their lips together. The action was so sudden, Eiji had his eyes wide open in surprise, unable to react to the kiss at all. But it went just as quickly as it came and Ash pulled back, jade eyes looking longingly deep into dark brown eyes.

Ignoring the varying expression on the officers around them, they helped each other up before they were quickly ushered out. The officer who guided them explained how he also wanted a few words with them once they got outside.

Eiji informed Ibe of their location and met up with him while Ash was being questioned. But in reality, Ash had a hard time understanding what the officer was trying to ask so Eiji and Ibe helped translate for him.

All of that happened without either Eiji or Ash letting go of the other’s hand.

After everything had calmed down at the shopping mall and the police let Ash go, Ibe took them back to his apartment for dinner. Even though they drove past many restaurants on the way back, they still chose to eat the cup ramen Eiji bought the previous day since Ash wasn’t in any condition to stay outside any longer and Ibe figured a more private setting was what the two younger ones needed most.

It turned out that when Eiji and Ash recovered their memories, Ibe’s did as well. As a result, after shovelling down his dinner, Ibe rushed to his computer to redraft the section of his article about American gangs. Feeling as if his previous block had been erased, giving him access to his memories again, Ibe had plenty to write about.

Eiji and Ash left him to work while catching up and enjoying each other’s company. Realistically, only a month had passed since Eiji left New York but during the time where they had forgotten each other, it felt like decades had passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, writing from Eiji’s pov of that scene was really nice. I hope you liked it!! So it’s the final chapter on Friday. It’ll be an epilogue/extra chapter of some kind, just to wrap things up. It’ll also be from Eiji’s pov, kind of like an extension to today’s chapter or to make up for the smaller Eiji chapters (or both, really). Thank you for reading up until this point!!


	10. Extra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Eiji spend some time catching up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the last chapter, ahhhh!! I know I’m a day late but I have a good reason – I’ve started working on another banana fish fic so if you’re interested then keep an eye out for it in the next month. Anyway, this fic has been so much fun to write and I’m going to finish it off with an epilogue of sorts. It’s just a few small details that I wanted to include so I hope you enjoy it!! Oh, and there’s also a special guest at the end, hehe~ ;D

“Ehh, you were stabbed?!” Eiji gaped when Ash told him what had happened the day of his flight back to Japan. “And you didn’t get it treated right away?!”

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash laughed awkwardly.

With a pinch of the bridge of his nose, Eiji muttered. “How did you even survive?”

“I won’t deny that a part of me was ready to die,” Ash confessed, looking away in slight guilt. “But I guess I also wanted to see you, one last time.”

_Whether Ash survives or not is down to his own willpower – his own desire to live._

A vague memory flashed in Eiji’s mind. He remembered those words from somewhere but he wasn’t sure where exactly. But whatever it was, it saved Ash’s life and Eiji couldn’t be more thankful.

“This won’t be ‘one last time’,” Eiji corrected. “Now that you’re here, I want you to stay.”

Ash looked up at Eiji. His jade eyes flashed with something hopeful and Eiji couldn’t help but reach out and take Ash’s hand into his own. Running his thumb over the other’s knuckles, he smiled softly.

Lost in each other’s gaze, Ash spoke in an honest voice. “Please let me stay by your side, Eiji.”

Whether Ibe was annoyed by their flirting or wanted to give them some privacy, he ushered them into the bathroom for them to clean up. Having two near to fully grown young men share a small bath was quite a tight fit, resulting in a lot of wrestling and overflowing water. After laughing and playing like children, Ash and Eiji relaxed in the hot water, continuing their conversation where Ash told him that he went to Izumo.

“What?” Eiji was surprised. “You’ve already been?”

“Yeah,” Ash replied, leaning against the edge of the bath tub. “I was deciding what to do when I came to Japan and I came across Izumo in one of the travel books and it kind of, called for me.”

“Ah, I had a few of those moments when I couldn’t remember you.” But just as Eiji said that, he remembered how he nearly sniffed the bed sheets Ash slept on the previous day. His face heated up instantly and he hid behind his hands.

“Huh? Eiji, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing…!”

Pulling his fingers away one by one, Ash peeked around Eiji’s hands to look at his face. Jade eyes looked mischievous and Eiji prepared himself for some teasing.

“Eh, what’s this? Why is Onii-chan so embarrassed right now?” Ash smirked, feigning innocence.

“I said it was nothing!” Eiji complained, throwing a handful of water at Ash.

“Hey!”

In that moment where water splashed against Ash’s face, droplets forming on his skin and trailing down to his chin, Eiji felt an urge to reach out. Even before Ash recovered from the surprise attack, Eiji cupped his cheeks with gentleness. Jade eyes widened as he closed the distance between them.

It was Eiji’s first time initiating a kiss and after doing so, he was certain he would do it more often. The kiss itself was nice but what Eiji enjoyed the most was Ash’s reaction. His dumbfounded expression, followed by flushing a deep red from his cheeks to his ears, was beyond priceless. And Eiji thought that was something he could exploit.

Bathing until their fingers began to look a bit like prunes, Ash and Eiji got out. However, before they were even fully dressed, they were startled by a shout from the main room.

“Uwaaaah!”

Rushing to the door, they both poked their heads around the doorframe.

“Ibe-san?” Eiji called just as said man turned the corner and ran towards them.

Both Eiji and Ash jumped back in surprise as Ibe ran up to them. Slightly short of breath, he held up two photographs, one in each hand.

“Look!”

Dark eyes widened upon seeing the photos.

The first one was of that time Eiji was standing by the river during a sunset, looking out at the city with his back turned to the camera. The last time he looked at it, he was definitely alone in the photo. This one, however, the photo in Ibe’s hand, Eiji wasn’t alone. Beside him, there was another person, blond and slender, whose back was also turned to the camera. It was Ash. He was standing right beside him, so close that their shoulders were touching. They looked out to the city together, basking in the colours of the sunset. Eiji wasn’t alone.

Then the second one Eiji remembered was just a scenic photo of an open window. But the one in Ibe’s other hand, half the scenery outside the window was blocked by a figure. His posture was elegant and beautiful, his expression showed calm thinking, and jade eyes looked both soft and dangerous. It took Eiji’s breath away and for some reason, he felt like crying.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Ash bluntly asked from beside him, seemingly confused as to why Ibe was making a big deal out of it.

Unable to help himself, Eiji laugh. The tears he nearly shed disappeared with a blink and he couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” Ash became even more confused.

“You weren’t in these photos before.” Eiji explained. “In this one, I was alone. And this one was just of an open window.”

“What, really?” Ash asked in surprise, looking between Eiji and Ibe.

They both nodded and Ash let out a breath in disbelief.

“How did that even happen?”

Even though he asked the question everyone was asking themselves, they didn’t dwell on it because they figured they wouldn’t get an answer no matter how hard they tried. The important thing was that they were reunited again and everything returned to where they were supposed to be.

Both seeming to be unable to let the other go, Ash and Eiji shared the bed in the guestroom. Their limbs were tangled with each other’s and they continued to chat with a few lazy kisses in between.

“You’ll have to teach me more Japanese from now on,” Ash said into the other’s chest. “I couldn’t even read the menu at the ramen place yesterday.”

“It won’t take you too long,” Eiji reassured. “You’re a fast learner. Plus, you’re surrounded by the language so it’s good immersion.”

“Just teach me the word for natto and I’ll be sure to avoid it.” Ash muttered.

Eiji couldn’t help but snicker. “Don’t tell me you insulted natto in front of that gang and they were offended by it.”

“You think I’d get into a fight because of some sticky beans?” Ash scowled up at Eiji who couldn’t help but laugh more.

“Right right,” Eiji dismissed. “Do you want me to teach you the word for pumpkin as well?”

“Eiji…!” Ash threatened, burying his face back into Eiji’s chest and squeezing the other tightly.

“A-Ash! Okay okay, sorry,” Eiji surrendered, tapping Ash’s arm several time for him to loosen his hold before Eiji got hugged to death.

They relaxed into each other again, both relishing in the warms of the other’s body and their individual scent.

Just as they were drifting off, Eiji whispered something into soft blond hair. It was something he had forgot to say earlier that day. He wasn’t even sure if the other was still awake to hear it but Eiji decided to say it anyway.

“Welcome to Japan, Ash.”

* * *

Surrounded by a white background, a man dressed in white watched over the two young men sleeping soundly together. A proud smile stretched over his face as a light breeze threaded through his bright purple mohawk. With a reach of his hand under his sunglasses, he wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye as he said,

“I knew you could do it.”

In just a month of making the deal, fate actually led them back other. In a world of 7.5 billion people, these two individuals successfully met again when they had no memories of each other and barely any clues in their surroundings. The only thing they had were their feelings deep within their hearts that not even the Lord could erase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, you guessed it – the special guest was Shorter!! I didn’t include him in the character list because I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Well, it wasn’t hard to guess though, was it? And now, let them live together happily ever after <3 There was one thing I didn't include because I couldn’t find a good place to add it but Eiji’s letter to Ash also got its words back. Well, with Ash’s memories back, he read the letter already anyway so it’s not a big problem.
> 
> Anyway, like I mentioned I’m currently working on another fic for this ship/fandom so feel free to join me if you’d like. It doesn’t have a title yet though, oops.
> 
> Okay, so to round off this fic. I’d like to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this. It was my first contribution to the fandom and I have to say, it’s been a lot of fun. I’m happy to have shared it with you. The reception and support has been amazing so really, a big thank you to everyone who has read, kudo-ed and/or left a comment!! I wish everyone the best, and maybe I’ll see you again – Thank you for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Update to come in a few days (Mon/Fri)


End file.
